RE: AB: CHILDSONG X ZERZURA

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    First of all, that is a pretty little AB.  As far as I know, you, I, and Jean Peyrard of France are the only 3 people who have gotten seedlings from my little arilmedian Childsong.  M. Peyrard introduced Ya-Sin, which came from a cross of Childsong  (OGB-) x El Coronel (OGB), a light purple-red flower (which I have never seen).  I have a seedling from Childsong (OGB-) x Tien Shan (OGB).  Tien Shan, my 2005 intro, was from Henry Danielson's iris Pleasure Ahead x my own Love Came By.  This seedling bloomed last year and was paler yellow than Childsong with a lot of the butterscotch subdued, and the beard was lavender.  The fall veining around the beard is the color of the veining on your seedling.  Several years ago, I lost a seedling in the flood, and that seedling was a bitone of gold and brown.  Currently, I have one seedling from Childsong x Welcome Reward, but it won't bloom until next year.  Congratulate yourself on the fact that your seedling has pollen.  I've only obtained seedlings that are pod fertile, as is Childsong.  I hope the pollen on your plant will be fertile, as we desperately need pollen-fertile arilmedians.

 

    So, whence the color?  Zerzura has the OB Capitola in its distant background, and Capitola gave many lavender and violet offspring when it was used back in the 1950s and 1960s.  In its closer background, Zerzura has Cool Oasis, which has lavender standards and mauve-purple falls.  Also in the parentage is Mohr Pretender, which is pale blue with purple veining at the ends of the beards.  And there is also Sheik, which I used as a parent to give me King Solomon's Mines, which has medium lavender standards.

 

Elm